Ken Loachs “Black Jack, der Galgenvogel / Black Jack” [GB 1979] wird am 21. Juni 2010 vom British Film Institute (BFI) als DVD-Premiere präsentiert. Mehr ist zu dem Titel noch nicht bekannt.

Aus dem “BFI looks forward to 2010“-Newsletter vom Januar 2010:

Black Jack (Ken Loach, 1979) – released 21 June
DVD premiere of this visually stunning feature film, adapted from Leon Garfield’s children’s novel, set in 1750s York. Directed by one of Britain’s most celebrated directors, Ken Loach

In den nächsten drei Jahren wird das British Film Institute (BFI) 32 Filme der japanischen Regielegende Yasujiro Ozu auf Blu-ray und DVD veröffentlichen. Der Anfang wird am 19. April 2010 gemacht. Über diese ersten drei “Dual Format Edition”-Sets mit insgesamt sechs Filmen habe ich bereits berichtet.

Aus dem “BFI looks forward to 2010“-Newsletter vom Januar 2010:

The films of Yasujiro Ozu – extensive new Blu-ray and DVD project launching 19 April 32 films by the Japanese master, Yasujiro Ozu, will be released by the BFI over the next three years

Vor einigen Monaten Zeit bereits wurde eine Blu-ray des Films “Institut Benjamenta oder Dieser Traum, den man menschliches Leben nennt / Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life” [GB / J / BRD 1995] der Quay-Brüder Stephen und Timothy vom British Film Institute (BFI) in Aussicht gestellt, genannte Termine konnten allerdings nicht eingehalten werden. Nun scheint es am 17. Mai 2010 so weit zu sein. Veröffentlicht wird die Blu-ray als “Dual Format Edition” inklusive einer DVD des Films.

Inspired by the writings of the Swiss novelist Robert Walser, Institute Benjamenta is the first live-action feature from the acclaimed surrealist animators, the Quay Brothers. Jakob (Mark Rylance) enrols into the Benjamenta Institute, a dilapidated boarding school for the training of servants. He then tries to unravel the hidden mysteries of the school, his fellow pupils, and Frau and Herr Benjamenta, the siblings who run it. A fascinating symphony of light and shade constructed on the prevailing Quay themes of death, decay, and nothingness.

• Dual Format Edition: Includes both the Blu-ray and the DVD of the film and extras
• Inside the Institute: an in-between world (BFI, 2010, c.30 mins): a brand new documentary about the making of the film, featuring actors Mark Rylance, Alice Krige, as well as the directors, writer, DoP and film editor.
• Original trailer
• Eurydice - She, So Beloved (Quay Brothers, 2007, 12 mins): Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo
• The Comb (Quay Brothers, 1990, 17 mins): this short animation explores some of the themes of Institute Benjamenta
• On-set footage (15 mins, DVD only)
• Songs for Dead Children (Quay Brothers / Steve Martland, 2003, 23 mins): Steve Martland’s Street Songs as seen by the visionary animators
• Fully illustrated booklet containing newly commissioned essays, biographies and stills by celebrated photographer Jill Furmanovsky

Über mögliche neue Blu-ray Discs aus der “Flipside”-Reihe des British Film Institutes (BFI) hatte ich die Tage schon berichtet. Allerdings scheinen nur zwei neue Titel am 17. Mai 2010 veröffentlicht zu werden, der von mir genannte “Prostitute” [GB 1980, Tony Garnett] scheint außerhalb der Reihe zu kommen.

Anscheinen veröffentlicht das BFI zukünftige Blu-ray Discs als “Dual Format Edition”, also inklusive DVD des Films. Dies ist schon bei den Yasujiro-Ozu-Discs der Fall und nun auch bei den hier vorgestellten Sets. Leider scheint sich der Preis dadurch leicht zu erhöhen.

17. Mai 2010
“The Party’s Over” [GB 1965, Guy Hamilton]
When enigmatic young American, Melina (Louise Sorel), falls in with a group of Chelsea beatniks, she catches the attention of the gang’s defiant leader, Moise (Oliver Reed), but invites scorn and jealousy from the group’s other members, including Moise’s lover Libby (Ann Lynn). At one wild and drunken party, the group’s games are taken too far, and tragedy follows, but only when Melina’s fiancé, Carson (Clifford David), begins investigating does the terrible truth reveal itself.

Originally banned by the censors for its controversial content, The Party’s Over has long been out of circulation, despite the presence of some of Britain’s most celebrated acting talent and James Bond director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger , Live and Let Die).

• Dual Format Edition: includes both the Blu-ray and the DVD version of the film and extras
• Remastered to High Definition
• Alternative export cut of the main feature
• Archival short films and documentaries
• Extensive illustrated booklet featuring essays and supporting material.

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Mittlerweile sind die Ausstattungsdetails der Yasujiro-Ozu-Blu-ray Discs vom British Film Institute (BFI) über play.com bekannt geworden:

“Später Frühling / Banshun / Late Spring” [J 1949, Yasujiro Ozu]

• Dual Format Edition: includes both Blu-ray and the DVD versions of the main feature
• Transferred from best available film elements to High Definition
• Contains full length feature The Only Son, Ozu’s first sound film, as an extra (DVD only)
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Extensive illustrated booklet featuring essays and film notes

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Am 25. Januar 2010 erweitert das British Film Institute (BFI) die “Flipside”-Reihe um die Discs #7 bis #9. Die “Flipside”-Reihe präsentiert “weird and wonderful British films in new high-quality editions on DVD and Blu-ray.”

“Privileg / Privilege” [GB 1967, Peter Watkins]

Steve Shorter, the biggest pop star of his day, is loved by millions; his approval or endorsement can guide the choices and actions of the masses. But, in reality, he is a puppet whose popularity is carefully managed by government-backed handlers keen to keep the country’s youth under control. Only an act of complete rebellion can set him free.

Starring Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones as Shorter, and iconic Sixties supermodel Jean Shrimpton as the girl who tries to help him defy the system, Privilege is the third feature from provocative British director Peter Watkins, a filmmaker whose unique vérité-style and oppositional themes have continually met with controversy throughout his career.

Remastered in high-definition and made available in the UK for the first time since its original cinema release, Privilege is presented here with two of Watkins’ earliest film works.

Special features:

• All films remastered to High Definition
• Original trailer
• The Diary of an Unknown Soldier (Peter Watkins, 1959, 17 mins): a compelling short film in which a young solider in the trenches of the First World War shares his innermost feelings
• The Forgotten Faces (Peter Watkins, 1961, 17 mins): a gripping newsreel-style account of the peoples’ uprising in Hungary, 1956, given forceful authenticity by Watkins’ unique approach
• Extensive illustrated booklet with essays by Peter Watkins, film historian Robert Murphy, and Watkins specialist John Cook.

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Die Quay-Brüder Timothy and Stephen sind eher für ihre Animationsfilme bekannt. 1995 jedoch drehten sie mit “Institut Benjamenta oder Dieser Traum, den man menschliches Leben nennt / Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life” [GB / J / BRD 1995] ihren ersten Live-Action-Film nach einer Novelle von Robert Walser. Dieser Film soll am 9. November 2009 vom British Film Institute (BFI) auf DVD und Blu-ray erscheinen.

A young man enrols at a dilapidated boarding school for trainee servants, only to discover that all the lessons being taught are exactly the same! Over time, he becomes entangled in the strange lives of the students and headmasters alike.
British animators The Brothers Quay turn their hand to live-action for the first time, resulting in this curiously fascinating film.

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Auf die im Mai kommenden Veröffentlichungen der Filme “Glut der heißen Körper / Primitive London” [GB 1965, Arnold L. Miller], “London in the Raw” [GB 1964, Norman Cohen, Arnold L. Miller] und “Danach / The Bed Sitting Room” [GB 1969, Richard Lester] hatte ich bereits Mitte März 2009 aufmerksam gemacht. Mittlerweile hat das British Film Institute (BFI) die Details dazu bekannt gegeben. So werden die DVDs und Blu-ray Discs innerhalb einer neuen Reihe mit dem Namen “Flipside” erscheinen. Diese Reihe soll alle drei Monate mit drei weiteren Titeln erweitert werden. Zwei davon sind bereits bekannt:

• “Privileg / Privilege” [GB 1967, Peter Watkins]
• “Adam und Eva / That Kind of Girl” [GB 1963, Gerry O'Hara]

Die Presse-Mitteilung:

On 25 May the BFI launches Flipside, a new strand presenting weird and wonderful British films in new high-quality editions on DVD and Blu-ray. The first three releases are Richard Lester’s darkly comic The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Arnold Louis Miller’s pioneering Mondo-influenced ‘shockumentaries’ London in the Raw (1964) and Primitive London (1965).

Developed from its popular monthly screening slot at BFI Southbank, the BFI’s Flipside series on DVD and Blu-ray is designed to revisit and reappraise British films that have slipped through the cracks of cinema history – films that were overlooked, marginalised, or undervalued at the original time of release, or sit outside the established canon of recognised classics. Subject matter will vary widely (and will encompass everything from nuclear war to Soho striptease, from forbidden love to international intrigue) and is likely to appeal to a diverse range of film fans, many of whom may be unfamiliar with the BFI’s more traditional DVD and Blu-ray output.

All Flipside releases, newly-mastered in HD from original film elements, are presented with a wide array of special features and extensive illustrated booklets containing informative notes and thought-provoking essays. Initial contributors include respected writers Stewart Home and Iain Sinclair. They are priced at £17.99 on DVD and £22.99 on Blu-ray.

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Bei einigen Onlinehändlern sind drei Titel des British Film Institutes (BFI) gelistet, die am 25. Mai 2009 auf DVD und Blu-ray erscheinen sollen. Weitere Details liegen bisher nicht vor.

Blu-ray + DVD: “Glut der heißen Körper / Primitive London” [GB 1965, Arnold L. Miller]
Blu-ray + DVD: “London in the Raw” [GB 1964, Norman Cohen, Arnold L. Miller]
Blu-ray + DVD: “Danach / The Bed Sitting Room” [GB 1969, Richard Lester]

Kommende DVDs und Blu-ray Discs der nächsten Monate vom British Film Institute (BFI):

23. März 2009
DVD + Blu-ray “Samstagnacht bis Sonntagmorgen / Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” [GB 1960, Karel Reisz]

In the industrial streets and factories of Nottingham, Arthur Seaton (Albert Finney) spends his days at the factory bench, his evenings in the local pubs and his nights in the arms of Brenda (Rachel Roberts), the wife of a fellow factory worker. Irresistibly handsome and brimming with animal vitality, Arthur is anti-authority and unashamedly amoral.

Based on Alan Sillitoes largely autobiographical novel, and with powerful central performances, crackling dialogue and a superb jazz score by Johnny Dankworth, the film stands as a vibrant modern classic. This Seminal film of the British New Wave was a great box-office success - audiences were thrilled by its anti-establishment energy, gritty realism, and above all its fresh, outspoken working-class hero.

• Commentary by film historian Robert Murphy, with writer Alan Sillitoe and cinematographer Freddie Francis.
• New interview with Shirley Anne Field.
• Interview with Albert Finney.
• Illustrated booklet containing essays and biographies.
• We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959), Karel Reiszs classic Free Cinema documentary.
• Feature presented with dual mono PCM audio (48k/16-bit), extras Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps)

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Am 26. Januar 2009 wird Otto Premingers “Lady Windermeres Fächer / The Fan” [USA 1949] nach Oscar Wildes Bühnenstück über das BFI auf DVD veröffentlicht. Die Infos zur Disc sind auf der Label-WebSite zu finden. Als Bonus ist zusätzlich die Verfilmung “Lady Windermere’s Fan” [GB 1916, Fred Paul] enthalten:

After many years abroad, Mrs Erlynne returns to a London much changed by the ravages of war. Whilst at an auction she recognizes an attractive fan which once belonged to her - but before she can claim it she must find another party to vouch for her. Seeking out Lord Darlington, her only acquaintance left remaining in London, the pair soon begin a journey of memory, love, loss and sacrifice.

Featuring George Sanders, Madeleine Carroll and Jeanne Crain and co-adapted by the legendary Dorothy Parker, Otto Preminger’s 1949 version of Oscar Wildes Lady Windermere’s Fan is a classic comedy of manners that sparkles with wit as befitting the great playwright.

Bonusmaterial
- Lady Windermeres Fan - Fred Pauls 1916 silent version of Wildes play (65 minutes)
- Illustrated booklet featuring film essays and biography
- Fully compressed PCM mono audio

Das British Film Institute (BFI) veröffentlicht am 20. Oktober 2008 die von mir bereits genannten Titel und einen Film von Jean Cocteau.

20. Oktober 2008

“Die rote Wüste / Il deserto rosso / Red Desert” [I / F 1964, Michelangelo Antonioni] Blu-ray

- 1080p 1.85:1 Widescreen
- Italian PCM Mono (48k/16bit)
- Brand new restoration with new improved English subtitle translation
- New full-feature commentary by Italian film scholar David Forgacs (with subtitles for the hearing impaired)
- Original trailer
- Illustrated colour booklet containing newly commissioned essays, notes, and Antonioni’s recollections of making Red Desert

(Hier geht’s weiter …)

Das British Film Institute (BFI) wird am 20. Oktober 2008 diese DVDs veröffentlichen:

- “Die rote Wüste / Il deserto rosso / The Red Desert” [I / F 1964, Michelangelo Antonioni]
- “Killer of Sheep” [USA 1977, Charles Burnett]
- “My Brothers Wedding” [USA 1983, Charles Burnett]

Bisher ist nur bekannt, daß der Antonioni-Film als 2-DVD-Set und als Blu-ray erscheinen wird. Weitere Infos zu den Titeln liegen noch nicht vor.